Community tutoring outreach

Kettering's Community Tutoring Program reaches out to help local students.

Kettering and its students continue to reach out and assist local children who seek help with their academic studies through the University's Community Tutoring Program.

This program has already helped hundreds of school-age children become more successful in their studies over the past seven years. Geared toward helping students at local schools, the program has them work with Kettering students to improve their skills and succeed academically.

Between Oct. 23, 2003, and March 18, 2004, Kettering students tutored more than 340 elementary, high school and some college students from the Genesee and Flint areas through the Community Tutoring Program. These students attend such schools as Beecher High School, Carman Ainsworth, Flushing High School, the Linden Academy, Baker College, University of Michigan-Flint and Northwestern High School. Some of the elementary schools represented by student participants include Dye Elementary and Pierce Elementary, as well as Grand Blanc Middle School and Swartz Creek Middle School. In total, more than 30 schools had students who received tutorial assistance by Kettering students during this time period.

For the 2004-2005 year, Kettering expects to tutor just as many students as the previous year. Each year, Kettering hosts the community tutoring program in BJ's Lounge, which is on the first floor of the Campus Center. Typically, Kettering students aid younger students with such subjects as reading, math and science during fall, winter and spring terms. The spring tutorial term will end Thursday, June 3. Tutoring generally runs Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7:30, and students receiving tutoring help must bring their homework and supplies with them. Students may drop in for assistance between these times and tutorials are free.

Diane Vyvyan, who is the coordinator for Student Media at Kettering and oversees the community tutoring program, feels it is of great benefit to both the youngstudents receiving assistance and the Kettering students who perform tutoring duties. "Students in Kettering honor societies provide the services to students as part of the requirement of the society," she explained. "A number of them enjoy the personal satisfaction they receive from participating as tutors in helping the kids. Often times, students who receive services get used to working with a specific tutor and will request their help each night."

Vyvyan also said that she is pleased that Kettering provides this program and only wishes that more students from the community would take advantage of it. Kettering's Office of International and Governmental Affairs has supported the program with a grant of $2,000 for the past several years, for which Vyvyan is thankful.

Parents may fill out a registration form at the door on the day they wish for their children to receive tutoring. For more information, contact Diane Vyvyan at (810) 762-9665, or via e-mail at dvyvyan@kettering.edu.